Gophers guard Andre Hollins, right, and Wisconsin's Traevon Jackson dive for a loose ball in the second half as the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers played the Wisconsin Badgers in Minneapolis on Thursday, February 14, 2013. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

RECAP: Joe Coleman's two free throws with 17.4 seconds left forced overtime, and Andre Hollins scored seven of his game-high 21 points in the extra period to help Minnesota pull out a much-needed victory Thursday, Feb. 14, at Williams Arena.

The Gophers (18-7, 6-6) cut their deficit to 49-47 on a dunk by Rodney Williams with just under two minutes left. Minnesota's comeback hopes appeared to be dashed when Austin Hollins was called for charging with 22.6 seconds left. But Mike Bruesewitz's violation on the inbounds opened the door for Coleman's free throws. Andre Hollins made the first basket in overtime with a NBA-range three-pointer to make it 52-49.

MEANING: The Gophers showed why NCAA tournament bracket experts still had them as high as a top-five seed, even though they had lost six of eight games. They now have four wins over teams in the RPI top 50.